Christopher Nolan believes that Tom Hardy's performance as Batman villain Bane in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises has yet to be "fully appreciated." While fans have mocked the character's vocal patterns since the film debuted, the director likens the subtleties of Hardy's acting to a Marlon Brando-esque performance, specifically highlighting Hardy's brow mannerisms as skillfully conveying "monstrous things."
"There's no safety net for any of these guys and Tom, I mean… what he did with that character has yet to be fully appreciated. It's an extraordinary performance, and truly amazing," Nolan told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "The voice, the relationship between just seeing the eyes and the brow. We had all these discussions about the mask and what it would reveal and what it wouldn't reveal, and one of the things I remember him saying to me, he sort of put his finger up to his temple and his eyebrow and said, 'Can you give me this to play with? Let people see this.' Sure enough, you see there in the film, this kind of Brando-esque brow, expressing all kinds of just monstrous things. It's really quite a performance."
Nolan recently stated he's glad he created his first Batman movie, 2005's Batman Begins, just before the superhero boom that resulted in the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. The director also made news when he slammed Warner Bros. decision to launch its entire 2021 slate of movies on HBO Max the same day they release in theaters, claiming that the move makes "no economic sense" and labeling HBO Max as the "worst streaming service" available.
Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Batman trilogy began with 2005's Batman Begins, with Christian Bale playing Bruce Wayne and Batman. It was followed by 2008's The Dark Knight and concluded with 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.
Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast (via NME)